US court strikes down Utah gay marriage ban

(Left to right) Plaintiffs Derek Kitchen, Moudi Sbeity, Kate Call and Karen Archer talk outside the courthouse after a federal appeals court heard oral arguments on a Utah state law forbidding same sex marriage in Denver in an April 10, 2014 file photo. A federal appeals court struck down on Wednesday a ban on gay weddings in Utah, the latest US state to allow same-sex marriages following a landmark Supreme Court decision last year. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A federal appeals court struck down on Wednesday a ban on gay weddings in Utah, the latest US state to allow same-sex marriages following a landmark Supreme Court decision last year.

The 10th Circuit court of appeals ruled that the 14th Amendment of the US constitution “protects the fundamental right to marry, establish a family, raise children, and enjoy the full protection of a state’s marital laws.

“A state may not deny the issuance of a marriage licence to two persons, or refuse to recognise their marriage, based solely upon the sex of the persons in the marriage union,” added a three-judge panel in a 2-1 ruling.

But the court blocked its ruling from taking effect pending an appeal, eventually to the Supreme Court. The Denver-based 10th Circuit appeals court covers Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.